The document compares the Olmec sculpture "Offering 4" from 900-400 BCE to the fictional characters the Thumb Thumbs from the 2001 movie Spy Kids. Both pieces share several elements of design including form, proportion, color, texture, and scale. Offering 4 depicts miniature Olmec villagers and was likely used in rituals, while the Thumb Thumbs are large digital characters that serve as minions to the villain Fegan Floop in Spy Kids. The document analyzes how both pieces effectively use elements of art and principles of design like volume, mass, facial features, unity, and size.

1. Comparative Analysis
SP 2020.FA 111.01 | JAHNE SPENCER

2. Jahne Spencer
Offering 4, La Venta
Olmec People
c. 900-400 BCE
6 ¼” – 7”
Jade, Greenstone, Granite and Sandstone
Museo Nacional d Anthropologian, Mexico City
Chapter 15; page 403
The Thumb Thumbs from the ‘Spy Kids’ movie
Feagan Floop (villain)
March 30, 2001 CE
Floop’s Castle

3. The first dominant element of design that both pieces share is volume, mass
and form because as both pieces being three dimensional they create an
illusion that makes them seem quite realistic to our eyes, as the “Offering 4”
are miniature statues of villagers in the Olmec culture made out of clay. While
the “Thumb Thumbs” are 3-D animated characters. How form constructs both
objects is by creating depth which includes the artist adding shading and
details into the work that helps give the pieces a realistic visual aspect. These
pieces are quite similar in a way because of their body form and in their faces
as both has lots of details put into them to make it seem true to the eye as they
add shading and highlighting to the pieces.
The first dominant principle of design that both pieces share is proportion
because the pieces bodies have been proportional with large heads and wide
shoulders and thick limbs which makes them very similar to each other. With
the artist using proportion as a principle of design it creates the pieces to be
unique looking and more attractive to look at.

4. The second dominant element design that both pieces share is color because
with both pieces of art they each member in the piece shares the same color
which expresses unification amongst them. Such as the ‘Thumb Thumbs’ they
all wear red onesie type clothing which shows that are unified group of
creatures while the offerings 4 they were most likely the same color because
they used the same type of material to carve these mini figurines but over
time they changed cause of distortion or evaporation.
The second principle of design that both pieces share is emphasis because on
each piece the artists emphasis the faces each member like in the offerings 4
they have a detailed and interesting facial features that you can’t help but to
look at while with the Thumb Thumbs they may not have very detailed faces
but of course you are going to look at the faces because they have unusual
faces because they’re thumbs.

5. The third element of design is texture because with both pieces of art they
have texturized type surface as the offerings 4 is made of multiple forms of
stone such as jade, greenstone, granite, etc. While the Thumb Thumbs are
digitalized 3-D characters, but they still have great details in them that shows
realistic features.
The third principle of design is scale because with the Thumb Thumbs they
are huge characters that can scare off people while the offerings are small
figurines that are perfect for traveling since it was the ancient time and
people were constantly moving for food or shelter.

6. “Offering #4” being one of the few pieces that was found in the location of La Venta
where the first civilization the Olmec people was based in. They created these
figurines in order to tell stories and as way the villagers to praise to during rituals.
“Thumb Thumbs” are fictional characters from the movie “Spy Kids” released in
March 30th of 2001. Being created by the villain Fegan Floop and is located in the
Floop Castle. As the zombie cloning group of minions for Fegan Floop.
Works Cited
Stokstad, Marilyn, Cothren, W. Michael
-- Art: Brief History (6th Edition) Chapter 15; Page 403-405
Khan Academy ‘Offering #4 La Venta’
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-americas/early-cultures/olmec/a/offering-la-venta
Spy Kids Wiki – Thumb Thumbs
https://spykids.fandom.com/wiki/Thumb_Thumbs
Pepper, Jen Blog – Elements and Principle of Design
https://sp2020cazfa111.blogspot.com/2020/01/elements-and-principles-of-design.html
Tdar- La Venta’s Offering 4: Representation of Olmec Ritual Practices
https://core.tdar.org/document/395106/la-ventas-offering-4-representation-of-olmec-ritual-practices
Elements of art and principle of designs
http://horacemannptsa.ourschoolpages.com/Doc/Art/12.%20Elements%20of%20Art%20and%20Principles%20of%20Design.pdf